Research Department Faculty and Staff

Gerard Kugel, DMD, MS, PhD

Associate Dean for Dental Research

Professor of Prosthodontics and Operative Dentistry

Dr. Kugel has been conducting research at the Dental School for 25 years which has contributed to his expertise in Clinical Research and Esthetic Dentistry. He is a reviewer and board member for many dental journals and is a Fellow in the American and International Colleges of Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry, and the Academy of Dental Materials. Dr. Kugel has published over 120 articles and over 200 abstracts in the field of restorative materials and techniques. He was given over 300 lectures both nationally and internationally.

Jennifer Towers

Director of Dental Research

As director of Dental Research, Jen oversees financial and regulatory compliance for all research operations at TUSDM. She acts as the main liason for the Research department to all federal, corporate and foundation agencies and other Tufts departments. Jen also reviews and approves all sponsored program contracts and budgets, grant applications and IRB submissions. In addtion, she supervises staff of Research Administration, provides education, training and support for departmental research coordinators and staff throughout the Dental School, and advises student researchers about project completion and mentor selection.

Pamela Corrado

Assistant Director of Dental Research

In her role as Assistant Director of Dental Research, Pam ensures financial and regulatory compliance and handles pre- and post-award grant management for faculty in the Departments Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics & Operative Dentistry. She supervises and audits clinical studies for faculty and PG students to ensure compliance with federal, state and sponsor regulations regarding good clinical and research practices. Pam also manages finances and operations of the Oral Medicine Clinic and supervises research coordinator assigned to PG student research.

Ronald Perry

Director of the Gavel Center

Clinical Professor

Dr. Perry is Director of the Gavel Center for Restorative Research and Associate Clinical Professor at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He works as a liaison to corporate sponsors to help secure finding for bench and clinical studies; acts as PI for select clinical trials; authors/co-authors journal articles; mentors pre- and post-doctoral students in research and sits on master’s thesis committees. Dr. Perry graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. from Boston College. He earned his doctorate in dentistry from Boston University. He completed his M.S. in Dental Research at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and owns a private general dentistry practice, Meridian Dental Associates, in South Weymouth, MA.

Eileen Doherty, MS

Director of Pre-doctoral Student Research

Clinical Assistant Professor

Professor Doherty manages the TUSDM Student Research Program, including the Student Summer Research Fellowships, the Dean’s Research Scholars Scholarship, Bates-Andrews Research Day, and the Robert R. Andrews Awards Dinner. She also promotes outside research and presentation opportunities for TUSDM students and tracks all outcomes related to student research. Eileen is available for assistance with proposal writing, and can assist with material and testing set-up.

Britta Magnuson

Instructor

Dr. Magnuson instructs pre- and post-doctoral students and faculty on proper study design, protocol preparation, data collection plans and additional study paperwork for IRB submission. In addition, she treats patients and assists with student rotation in the Oral Medicine clinic. She also examines and screens subjects for clinical trials and writes and edits articles for publication.

Masly Harsono

Instructor

Dr. Harsono works with corporate sponsors to design research projects for bench testing, writes and edits articles for publication and mentors students on materials testing techniques. He treats, examines, and screens subjects for select clinical trials and sits on master’s thesis committees.

Quigley Raleigh

Program Manager

Quigley ensures financial and regulatory compliance and handles pre- and post-award grant management for faculty in Craniofacial & Molecular Genetics, Public Health & Community Service, and Pediatric Dentistry. She reviews grant opportunities and proposals; drafts budgets and submit grants to the Office of the Vice Provost and sponsors; and acts as liaison to sub- and prime-award institutions and Sponsored Accounting. In addition she is responsible for overseeing the regulatory compliance and daily business operations of several laboratories on the Boston Campus and in Medford.

Katie Dunn

Department Administrator

Katie manages the administrative processes for the Dental Research department and Gavel Research Center. She coordinates administrative process of the Pre-doctoral Student Research Program, oversees the International Research Program, coordinates travel for the AADR/IADR Annual Meeting and supervises the department Staff Assistant. Katie also acts as liaison to other School and University offices, assists with research budget management/planning, and submitting grant applications.

Jacob Silberstein

Senior Research Coordinator

Jacob is responsible for assisting dentists and researchers in conducting bench studies and clinical trials by handling overall micro- and macro-coordination of research trials. He oversees the schedule and usage of on-site Clinical Research Facilities, clinics and laboratories and assists in writing progress reports for study sponsors. In addition, he helps plan, develop and implement project workflow and coordinates staffing of research coordinators and volunteer workers for clinical trials.

Jacob also assists faculty and PG students with proposal development and navigation of the IRB submission process. He drafts informed consent documents and case report forms; completes IRB submissions and continuing reviews for all TUSDM research studies; and performs study close-outs. In addition, Jacob tracks certification and recertification of mandatory educational training (human, animal, biosafety) and offers education about human subjects’ protection guidelines for faculty, staff and students.

Cassandra O’Connell

Senior Research Coordinator

Cassandra coordinates PG department student and faculty research by handling overall micro- and macro-coordination of research trials. She audits and monitors clinical studies for continuing review and close out and identifies areas of compliance vulnerability and makes corrections as necessary. In addition, she educates students and faculty about guidelines concerning human subjects protections, data collection and retention.

Stephanie John

Senior Research Technician

Stephanie coordinates activities within the Gavel Center for Restorative Research. She collects and reports data for bench trials; trains and supervises students in the lab; writes abstracts and reports for bench trials; maintains equipment; conducts literature searches and runs in vitro experiments in conjunction with faculty and students.

Staff Assistant

The staff assistant provides support to department members and manages Jennifer Towers and Dr. Kugel’s calendars. They coordinate record retention and filing according to state/federal/sponsor guidelines and assists with shared labs maintenance and service. In addition, they review and process grant-funded travel requests and reimbursements for faculty, staff and students and act as a liaison with external and internal offices to ensure timely grant submissions.